The 365 · Sunnah · Day 307 · Sleep
The Three Quls at Sleep (al-Muʿawwidhāt)
The hadith
كَانَ النَّبِيُّ ﷺ إِذَا أَوَى إِلَى فِرَاشِهِ كُلَّ لَيْلَةٍ، جَمَعَ كَفَّيْهِ ثُمَّ نَفَثَ فِيهِمَا، فَقَرَأَ فِيهِمَا: قُلْ هُوَ اللَّهُ أَحَدٌ، وَقُلْ أَعُوذُ بِرَبِّ الْفَلَقِ، وَقُلْ أَعُوذُ بِرَبِّ النَّاسِ، ثُمَّ يَمْسَحُ بِهِمَا مَا اسْتَطَاعَ مِنْ جَسَدِهِ، يَبْدَأُ بِهِمَا عَلَى رَأْسِهِ وَوَجْهِهِ وَمَا أَقْبَلَ مِنْ جَسَدِهِ، يَفْعَلُ ذَلِكَ ثَلَاثَ مَرَّاتٍ.
When the Prophet ﷺ went to bed every night, he would join his palms, blow into them, and recite into them: Qul huwa Allāhu aḥad, Qul aʿūdhu bi rabbi al-falaq, Qul aʿūdhu bi rabbi al-nās. Then he would wipe his palms over as much of his body as he could reach, starting with his head, then his face, then the front of his body. He did this three times. (Bukhari 5017; Muslim 2192)
Svenska: När Profeten ﷺ gick till sängs varje natt, satte han ihop sina handflator, blåste in i dem, och reciterade in i dem: Qul huwa Allāhu aḥad, Qul aʿūdhu bi rabbi al-falaq, Qul aʿūdhu bi rabbi al-nās. Sedan strök han sina handflator över så mycket av sin kropp han kunde nå, började med huvudet, sedan ansiktet, sedan kroppens framsida. Han gjorde detta tre gånger. (Bukhari 5017; Muslim 2192)
Bukhari 5017; Muslim 2192; Tirmidhi 3402
The story
When the Prophet's ﷺ illness intensified near the end of his life, he could no longer recite for himself with full strength. ʿĀ'ishah (may Allah be pleased with her) would recite the muʿawwidhāt herself, blow on her hands, and wipe over his blessed body in the way he had taught her, hoping for the barakah of his own hand (Bukhari 5751). The Sunnah was so familiar she could perform it on the one who taught it.
Why it's here
Three sūrahs, three blows, three wipes. The body is covered in Allah's words before the night begins. Each sūrah names a different refuge: Ikhlāṣ names Him in His Oneness; Falaq seeks refuge from external evils; Nās seeks refuge from internal whisperings. The Prophet ﷺ taught a complete protection in 60 seconds.
Try it today
After lying down (or just before), bring your palms together. Recite into them, with breath: Sūrat al-Ikhlāṣ, Sūrat al-Falaq, Sūrat al-Nās. Then wipe them over your head, face, and front of body, reaching as far as you can. Repeat the sequence three times.
In your day
In a world that bombards the body with images, anxieties, and impressions throughout the day, the muʿawwidhāt is a sealant. The body that has been touched by ten thousand inputs is closed for the night by three words from the Lord of those inputs. The Prophet ﷺ did this every single night.
A reflection to carry
Allah named the last three sūrahs of His Book to be the believer's evening shelter. The book ends with refuge. The day ends with refuge. The night is recovered for Him alone.
Read the longer reflection
Sūrat al-Ikhlāṣ is one-third of the Qur'an by reward. Falaq and Nās are the two muʿawwidhatān, the two seeking-refuges. Together they form a triangle: Allah is named in His essence (Ikhlāṣ), then refuge is taken in Him from external evil (Falaq), then refuge is taken in Him from internal evil (Nās). The body that goes to sleep wrapped in these three sūrahs is protected at every layer. The whispering of shayṭān, the envy of an envier, the harm of every creature, the darkness of the night, all are named in these brief verses and all are sealed off by them. The Prophet ﷺ did this every night of his life. ʿĀ'ishah continued it when he no longer could. May we make this Sunnah so regular that the night feels naked without it.
Sources: Sahih Bukhari, Sahih Muslim, Tirmidhi. The Qur'an and its translation are verified; the scholarship is retold faithfully in our own words and credited to its sources, never reproduced verbatim.
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